Verizon Communications said on Friday it does not and will not provide any government agency unfettered access to customer records, responding to a report that it was one of three U.S. telephone companies that had given access to data on millions of consumers. USA Today reported on Thursday that the National Security Agency (NSA) was secretly amassing phone records from the country's three biggest phone companies to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist plots.The report prompted both Democrats and Republicans to demand explanations amid brewing concern over personal privacy rights. A Senate panel plans to ask the phone companies for information on the matter."Verizon does not, and will not, provide any government agency unfettered access to our customer records or provide information to the government under circumstances that would allow a fishing expedition," the company said on Friday.... http://news.yahoo.com

Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales, the presidents of Venezuela and Bolivia who are leading Latin America's radical turn to the left, angrily faced down EU leaders at a trade summit in Vienna today. The two leaders, both advocates of close national control of their enormous oil and gas resources, were the most controversial of the representatives of 58 Latin American and European nations attending today's meeting, where the EU sought reassurances about Señor Morales's intention to re-nationalise the Bolivian oil and gas industry and Señor Chavez's opposition to market reforms. They lived up to their billing, saying free trade and "neoliberal" economic policies undertaken over the last 20 years in Latin America had done little to lift millions of Bolivians and Venezuelans out of poverty. "Neoliberalism has begun its decline and has come to an end," Señor Chavez told reporters at the summit. "Now a new era has begun in Latin America. ...http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2177681,00.html

The Pentagon has been asked to draw up options for deploying military personnel to help secure the border with Mexico, CNN has learned. Bush could announce a plan as soon as next week, and Pentagon sources told CNN on Friday that National Guard troops might be involved. Bush is scheduled to speak on immigration and border security at 8 p.m. Monday in an Oval Office address. Pentagon sources told CNN that one idea under consideration is to deploy several thousand additional National Guard troops in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The troops would assist civilian authorities by providing logistics, intelligence and surveillance, and would remain under the control of the governors of those four states. Kinda looks like the All Volunteer “Un-Documented” Border Patrol has worked to get the Politicians off their fat asses and at least look like they are going to do something. However, don’t hold your breath waiting to see anything that will work...http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/12/border.defense/index.html?section=cnn_us

The Republicans are in danger of losing control of Congress in November’s mid-term elections EVEN as President Bush’s sinking popularity was breaking records in Washington in recent months, it was hard to find many political analysts prepared to bet that his Republican Party would lose control of the US Congress in the critical mid-term elections in November. Thanks to a combination of canny gerrymandering of seats in the House of Representatives and the deadening power of incumbency in both House and Senate, the Democratic Party’s chances of dislodging the Republicans’ solid majorities in the two houses looked remote, even if voters were expressing deep unhappiness with the party that has run Congress for most of the past decade. But in the past week or two Mr Bush’s numbers have plumbed new depths — his approval rating at 32 per cent is the lowest of any President since Jimmy Carter in 1979. ...http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2177947,00.html

Convicted Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui appealed the life sentence he got this month and the denial of his request for a new trial. In a one-paragraph notice of appeal, his court-appointed lawyers said Friday he wanted the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the final judgment and sentence he received May 4 and Judge Leonie Brinkema's May 8 denial of his request to withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial on the original charges. The notice was required to be filed by May 18 if the 37-year-old Frenchman wanted to appeal his case. It contained no legal arguments about the case; those will be filed later with the appeals court. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/12/terror/main1616353.shtml?source=RSS&attr=U.S._1616353

If diseases like AIDS and bird flu scare you, wait until you hear what's next. Doctors are trying to find out what is causing a bizarre and mysterious infection that's surfaced in South Texas. Morgellons disease is not yet known to kill, but if you were to get it, you might wish you were dead, as the symptoms are horrible. "These people will have like beads of sweat but it's black, black and tarry," said Ginger Savely, a nurse practioner in Austin who treats a majority of these patients. Patients get lesions that never heal. "Sometimes little black specks that come out of the lesions and sometimes little fibers," said Stephanie Bailey, Morgellons patient. ...http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA051106.morgellans.KENS.32030524.html